Friends want to help Tecumseh family

To say the Taft Kasik family of Tecumseh is going through a tough time is an understatement.

The family is facing catastrophic medical issues without insurance and the ability to work. Family and friends are banding together to help them and are asking people to also pitch in.

Taft Kasik is recovering from injuries suffered in a car crash in July; his wife, Adrienne, is being treated for Lyme disease; and adult daughter Lora has been diagnosed with a deadly and rare sarcoma. A fundraising taco dinner is being planned for 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, May 4, at the Tecumseh American Legion Hall, 101 W. Pottawatamie St. The dinner will have A Cinco de Mayo theme, with the proceeds helping with medical costs.

"I never realized how many people out there love me," Adrienne said. "This is such a caring community."

Along with the meal, organizers will have raffles and other prize drawings, said Renee Collins, one of the organizers. She said a silent auction is planned starting at 5 p.m.

Norrie Van Camp, Adrienne's sister, said her sister has lost 40 pounds, can barely walk or talk, is in terrible shape and can't work. Her husband has been providing almost around-the-clock care. Adrienne said the family is coping with the situation as best as it can.

"Faith, family and a lot of good people help us. We are a very close-knit family," she said. "It's been very stressful on (Taft). He gets me out of bed, helps me shower and feeds me."

Taft is on the mend, but is not yet able to work steadily, she said. Before his crash, he was a self-employed construction worker and now can only take jobs close to home so he can care for his wife, Adrienne said.

Taft Kasik was driving east on Munger Road near Tipton Highway July 17, 2012, when he lost control of his car and it overturned. He spent time at St. Joseph Mercy Health Systems in Ann Arbor with serious injuries.

To compound the misery, Lora, 21, who worked before being stricken and lives at home to help her parents, was diagnosed with a rare sarcoma. She has completed 33 treatments and is about to begin six months of what her mother called aggressive chemotherapy.

"They removed a tumor from her leg that was about 4 inches long," Adrienne said.

As for her prognosis with Lyme disease, Adrienne is not optimistic.

"It doesn't look good," she said. "We are hoping to go forward with an IV antibiotic. I've had to pay for a lot of this myself."

She is also using her condition to urge people to become more aware of Lyme disease. It is a painful and debilitating condition that is contracted through the everyday activities.

"I used to hike and walk a lot outdoors. I worked in the yard," Adrienne said. "(Lyme disease) is also transmitted from dogs and cats and is not easily diagnosed."

She said the disease is diagnosed only through a specific blood test.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria transmitted to humans through the bite of infected blacklegged ticks. Typical symptoms include fever, headache, fatigue and a characteristic skin rash.